Gilda Darthy (1878–1952) was a French actress.

Early life

Darthy was born in 1878.

Career

Darthy was an actress on the Paris stage. She wore costumes by Paquin and Redfern, and was a popular subject of fashion reporting, photography and postcards, with her red hair often featured.

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painted a portrait of Darthy, hand on hip, wearing a hat with multiple large plumes. In 1910, she was announced as a passenger on a flight from

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, to help publicize a new French air service across the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Darthy was one of the French actresses to pose as "La Patrie", a personification of France. In 1916, she made her American debut in ''The Ironmaster'' by

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, in which the ''New York Times'' reported that she had "extraordinary emotional powers and a voice whose lovely quality is one of her greatest assets." She was also seen in New York in 1917, starring in '' Sapho'', and in ''La Rafale'' by

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. While she was in the United States, she appeared at benefit events for war relief.

Personal life and legacy

Beyond her acting and fashion roles, Darthy was often in headlines for personal scandals. In 1917, Darthy was sued by fellow actress Irène Bordoni for

alienation of affections Alienation of affections is a common law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. Where it still exists, an action is brought by a spouse against a third party alleged to be responsible for damaging the marriage, most often resulting in divorce. The ...

, concerning Bordoni's husband and Darthy's co-star, Edgar Becman. In 1923, she was in a similar situation with fellow actress Cora Laparcerie and her husband Jacques Richepin, though that dispute escalated to physical violence between the women. Later she was involved in solving a mystery surrounding the death of young industrial heir Marc Bellanger. In 1929, she won damages after a car accident caused her injuries and required her to cut her trademark long hair, because "she refused to deceive the public by wearing a wig." Darthy died in 1952. An elaborate bed she once owned later belonged to

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, and is currently in the collection of the Getty Museum, as an example of an eighteenth-century French ''lit à la polonaise''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darthy, Gilda 1878 births 1952 deaths French actresses French women in World War I